Are you aware of Earth Overshoot Day* ( Global Footprint Network** ) and that we (the human race) have already passed that day in 2024?
“Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.”
In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day landed on August 1st. Of course, that date is based on a collective calculation for the planet but each nation, depending on its way of life, level of industrialisation and economic state contributes unequally. For example, if everyone in the world followed the same lifestyle as the average UK resident, Earth Overshoot Day would have fallen on June 3rd!
In today's ever evolving business landscape, sustainability is no longer a choice - it's a necessity. Organisations are under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact while maintaining or even improving efficiency. One of the most effective yet often overlooked tools for any size of organisation is the integration of a Document Management System (DMS) with process automation.
While these technologies are primarily associated with boosting productivity and cutting costs, they also offer significant, though sometimes hidden, environmental benefits - giving a subtle boost to your sustainability efforts. These benefits contribute to the deceleration of our impact on planet Earth and in delaying markers such as Earth Overshoot Day. Of course, one organisation digitally transforming with automation will not make an appreciable difference, however collectively, significant beneficial progress can be achieved.
Process automation involves using technology to perform routine tasks with minimal human intervention. This might include anything from automating invoice processing to managing customer data. The immediate benefits of automation saving time and reducing the likelihood of human error are obvious, however, the environmental impact is equally important.
Automation significantly reduces the energy and resources required to perform various tasks. For example:
A much larger reduction in energy consumption can be achieved through the automation of document-intensive processes. By moving to digital systems, organisations can cut down on the use of printers, photocopiers, and physical filing systems, all of which consume electricity and resources. What is more, once centrally stored digitally, documents can be easily shared without the need to attach and or print multiple times, reducing the ‘footprint’ of every document processed.
When processes are automated, the consistency and accuracy of tasks is greatly improved, leading to fewer errors and less waste. This is particularly relevant in industries where mistakes can lead to significant material waste such as manufacturing, logistics, or even service industries.
For example, in a manual process, an error in data entry could lead to the wrong product being manufactured or shipped, resulting in wasted materials and additional emissions from transportation. Through automation, these input errors can be significantly reduced (if not eliminated), ensuring that resources are used more efficiently and that waste is minimised. This reduction in waste is not only beneficial for an organisation's bottom line but also for the planet.
The pandemic accelerated a shift in working practices and many have continued to remote work where they can. Document Management Systems are crucial in enabling this shift by allowing employees to access and share documents securely from anywhere in the world. This not only improves flexibility and work-life balance but also has a significant environmental impact.
By supporting remote work, DMS helps reduce the numbers commuting - which is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the UK. Additionally, remote work reduces the demands on office spaces, leading to less energy consumption in heating, cooling, and lighting these larger, less efficient spaces. When multiplied across thousands of organisations, the environmental benefits of this shift can be substantial.
DMS reduces the need for physical documents, cutting down on the production and disposal of paper - gone are the days of taking thick stacks of paperwork to wherever you need it or even printing copies to work on at home (which is also potentially a massive security risk). The UK uses around 9.9 million tonnes of paper and cardboard annually, much of which ends up in landfills. By digitising documents, companies can significantly reduce their paper consumption, contributing to a decrease in deforestation and the associated carbon emissions.
While the individual environmental benefits of process automation and DMS might seem small, their cumulative impact can be profound. Consider the thousands of organisations worldwide that have implemented these technologies. Each of them is saving energy, reducing waste, and cutting emissions, contributing incrementally to the delay of Earth Overshoot Day.
In the UK however, small businesses are suffering from ‘digital drag’ - they are not adopting these beneficial technology solutions as quickly as larger organisations which in turn reduces the collective impact significantly.
Only 30% of SMBs have increased their use of digital tools since 2019 and 40% of SMBs still don’t see a relevance to their business in adopting digital transformation. Often cost (initial and ongoing) is raised as an objection by smaller organisations to adopting digital transformation, however, with new cloud based document management systems specifically targeted at SMBs now available in the UK, offset by the efficiency savings that can be achieved, digital transformation is now more accessible.
Widespread adoption of DMS with process automation could lead to significant reductions in energy consumption across industries, helping to lower national carbon emissions and contribute to the UK's net-zero goals.
In a world where sustainability is increasingly critical, these hidden benefits offer a compelling reason for businesses to invest in automation and digital transformation. Not only will these technologies improve operational efficiency, but they will also contribute to global efforts to push back Earth Overshoot Day, ensuring a more sustainable future for all.
To find out more about the document management and automation solutions available to your organisation (regardless of size) and the benefits adopting digital transformation can bring, come and have a no obligation chat with PacSol .
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*Earth Overshoot Day is an initiative of Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that is changing the way the world measures and manages its natural resources. The date of Earth Overshoot Day is calculated with National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts data, available for free at data.footprintnetwork.org.
**Global Footprint Network is not associated with PacSol and does not endorse any product or service supplied by the company.